Movie Review | Thor: The Dark World

Thor: The Dark World starts off by giving us some Asgard mythology and background, although if you saw the first Thor you’re most likely familiar with Asgard. It’s been two years since Thor (Chris Hemsworth) has returned to Earth (same timeline as in real life, as Thor was released in 2011). Since then, Asgard has made some new enemies; Thor must save his kingdom and also save Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), his mortal love, from danger.

The film starts in Asgard and later on in the movie, Thor (Hemsworth) returns to Earth. A portal has been created connecting the nine realms, and until it closes, Asgard, Earth, and the other seven are all in danger. Jane Foster (Portman) has been getting crazy readings on her scientific devices because of this, and she and her assistant Darcy (Kat Dennings) have been investigating it in London. Jane manages to contract the “aether” (prounced “ether”) inside of her while investigating, and it’s something that Asgard’s enemies need to crush Asgard; it also makes Thor return to Earth to help Jane and free her of the aether, while also making sure his enemies do not capture it or her.

There’s a lot of “science” in this movie, which made the above plot summary hard to write, but if you’ve enjoyed the previous Thor or The Avengers, you will enjoy this one. I will say skip the 3D, because it seemed dark and didn’t add much to the movie, besides a few cool scenes where Thor’s hammer comes flying out of the screen. Thor, Loki (Tom Hiddleston), their father Odin (Anthony Hopkins), Natalie Portman, Kat Dennings, and others are all back from this installment, and there’s a few great cameos throughout as well; make sure to look for Stan Lee, father of Marvel, who traditionally makes cameos in this movie, as well as one of the members of the Avengers, in a random scene that made the audience roar with laughter. Chris O’Dowd also has a small role in this Thor as a man who Portman’s character goes out with once, while still pining for Thor.

Yes, see this movie. Although it’s almost two hours long, it flies by quickly, and there’s never any moments where you will lose interest. There’s a semi-plot twist at the end of the film that I probably should have seen coming but did not, and make sure to stay after the credits: there’s not one, but two additional scenes.. One of my favorite things about the Marvel movies is that it mixes humor and quips with dramatic scenes, and Thor: The Dark World holds itself up to this standard; Hemsworth, Hiddleston, and Dennings all have various lines they spout out throughout the film to lighten the mood. This installment of Thor should satisfy Marvel fans, and it’s a nice addition to the series.

Thor: The Dark World is in theaters today, November 8th, and is rated PG-13 with a runtime of 112 minutes. 4.5 stars out of 5.

Liz is our regular movie reviewer and writes for her film blog (Yes/No Films) and book blog (Books I Think You Should Read), as well as Examiner.com and CBS Detroit. You can follow her on Facebook and on Twitter.